Lead-free lipstick swap

Send in your old lipstick for $10 off a greener, lead-free lipstick with organic ingredients from Lavera.

Do you own L’Oreal Colour Riche “True Red” — with its 0.65 ppm of lead? That lipstick was the lead-iest lipstick tested by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics — which found lead in 61 percent of the 33 lipsticks it tested — despite the fact that lead wasn’t listed as an ingredient in any of them.

If you knew about this lead issue but held onto your old tube of “True Red” anyway, you’re not alone. Many people just don’t like throwing away lipstick they’ve already paid for. But now a greener beauty and cosmetics company’s giving you an incentive for getting rid of your leaden lipsticks.

Lavera calls its lipsticks “organic,” but do keep in mind that this doesn’t mean Lavera’s lipsticks as a whole are organic certified. Instead, the lipstick contains some organic ingredients like organic shea butter, jojoba and almond oil — and doesn't contain lead or parabens. I tried putting Lavera lipstick ingredients through Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic safety database; they all scored in the “low-risk” category. I haven’t tried one of their lipsticks yet though — but I’m going to take advantage of this deal and will report back after a lip test.